Economic Decoupling and the Future of the European Ideal

Economic decoupling refers to the possibility that the United States and China could adopt very different standards and technologies, and rely on increasingly distinct and separate supply chains in the future. A global phenomenon that may have been accelerated by the pandemic. On April 25, the day after the presidential elections in France, Jeremy Ghez, Professor and co-Director of the Center for Geopolitics at HEC Paris, will discuss the drivers of economic decoupling, and what this means for business and for the future of the European Union.

This interactive masterclass will be followed by an open discussion with the audience, moderated by Anne Michaut, Associate Dean for Education Track and Pedagogy.

Globalization used to be about interdependence and economic integration. However, today, political concerns of sovereignty, independence, self-reliance and autonomy could increasingly shape the decisions of Beijing, Washington and European capitals, thereby undermining both interdependence and economic integration. This phenomenon results from deep structural trends that an earlier webinar and a recent AmCham-HEC Paris white book documented, and that the pandemic accelerated – and that the war in Ukraine could accelerate.

What would this mean for the European Union, whose very ideal is based on interdependence and economic integration? What could be the Union’s response? French president Emmanuel Macron has offered one answer based on strategic autonomy that news headlines have been too quick to limit to the military realm, as it actually extends to other domains, including energy and supply chains. Could this be a viable alternative? What would this mean for European and non-European businesses? In the wake of the war in Ukraine and in the aftermath of the French elections, this webinar will try to address some of these critical questions for the world of business.
 

This live and interactive masterclass with the faculty is the first of a series launched by HEC Paris, and aims to offer new perspectives on today's global challenges, for businesses and society at large.